It's been a year you say? Woops!!

So when I commenced writing my blog last October, I didn’t anticipate it being a whole year before I made another post. Equally, having not posted for over a year I am surprised that here I am, posting again.

As I began to write my first blog post a year ago, I had just moved house, had no idea where my life was going, and was penciling my thoughts through boredom – this is probably apparent in the fact that my post was about the stage show Mamma Mia. Fast forward to October 2015, things are altogether more exciting. I have appeared on television twice, represented The Salvation Army at Whitehall and at the O2 Arena, and have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world.

I met her shortly after my initial blog post at an Orchestra concert and workshop that I was performing at. Now it must be said that until this point I didn’t believe in ‘love at first sight’, and I certainly didn’t believe a relationship could blossom from asking somebody a football score. Yet, this girl whom I’d never met answered the question on behalf of the person I’d asked, and before long I was jabbering like a goon. The rest as they say, is history.

Since this cold wintery November day, we’ve been through a lot together, and we have changed and grown together, and although I attend Crystal Palace games with her, I’m still Leeds at heart! One of the more exciting things we have done together came in July, at The Salvation Army’s 150th Birthday Party in London. I will elaborate on this further in a reflective (if slightly late) diary post, but needless to say performing, celebrating and worshiping alongside 15,000 Salvationists from around the world is an experience I will never forget.

I feel it is now time I came clean as to the real reason I am posting today. In the last few hours I have found out that I have a place running the London Marathon in 2016. For those of you who know me I should imagine most, if not all of you have just fallen off your chairs howling with laughter. But I assure you this is no joke. This is perhaps the most challenging thing I personally have ever done, and it is with the support of my wonderful girlfriend that I am even attempting this. 

I am aware that it will be a long and arduous journey between now and April, and will require no small amount of physical and lifestyle change on my part. However I am determined to complete this huge and daunting challenge and I know I will have the support of my friends and family. 

I intend to use this blog to keep you updated as to my training progress, and will also provide you with a link to mine and Steph’s donation page.

We will be running for an organisation very close to our hearts, The Salvation Army Anti-Human Trafficking Unit. We both grew up in The Salvation Army, and part of my role requires working alongside the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, so we want to do all we can to help this fantastic work!

Thank you all for reading, and I hope to have an update very soon.

Dan